New lawn issues

[stonegatedesigns]

Hey guys I did a lawn install back in the end of may. When we checked on the job a few weeks later the grass was growing and looking good. The customer was instructed to continue to water the lawn. Now months later the husband calls stating the lawn is nothing but weeds and grass was never growing. The grass was growing good in April then we had a major drought but he stated that they continued to water. Any advice on this?

[dpld]

Lawn care business tips

Originally Posted by stonegatedesigns Hey guys I did a lawn install back in the end of may. When we checked on the job a few weeks later the grass was growing and looking good. The customer was instructed to continue to water the lawn. Now months later the husband calls stating the lawn is nothing but weeds and grass was never growing. The grass was growing good in April then we had a major drought but he stated that they continued to water. Any advice on this? it could be a number of things, i had a similar job that i did a while back and i used top soil from a unfamiliar vendor and the soil he sold me looked good but i later found out it was municipal compost mixed with regular soil that was infested with weed seeds and the new lawn exploded out of the ground the first few weeks and then the weeds germinated and i came back and it was like, " holy crap, what happened here? ". since, i usually include a few applications with all lawn installs to where i can keep up on any under lying issues and prevent that from happening again. sometimes no matter how hard you try you are at the mercy of the quality of the products your supplier sells you. i don't do it for free but i do it slightly discounted and just add it in to the whole job. another issue with early season lawns is to not use too much seed and to do it early enough to allow the new lawn a good 8 weeks or more to get established before the heat of the summer. young fresh grass gets hammered by the heat. another issue is the seed itself that you use, not all seeds are created equal and and vary greatly from brand to brand. saving a few bucks per pound on seed can cost you a ton later.

[stonegatedesigns]

The guy called this morning and just started calling me every name in the book. I asked him what I could do to make him happy he said f u and don't come back. Should I go look at the lawn and try to fix it or just let it go? The contract states we are not responsible for weather, acts of god ect. Should I stick by the contract or just let him be pissed?

[Sprinkler Buddy]

He said don't come back and I wouldn't go back with his attitude. We will never know if it were your fault or his, the truth seldom comes out in these cases. That's why I don't even go there. So much can go wrong and often does with sod installation.

[dpld]

Originally Posted by stonegatedesigns

The guy called this morning and just started calling me every name in the book. I asked him what I could do to make him happy he said f u and don't come back. Should I go look at the lawn and try to fix it or just let it go? The contract states we are not responsible for weather, acts of god ect. Should I stick by the contract or just let him be pissed?

i am sorry, i thought you were talking about a seeded lawn.

if it was sod and it died i think he is lying about watering the lawn and if it were a drought would'nt there be water restrictions?

either way as much as it pains you to deal with the dude you should probably try to make good on it because things like this give people like this a open invitation to slander your business every chance they get.

if he continues to be a azz then screw him.

[shadrach]

If you installed it in May & he waited until September to complain? Would not worry too much about it, You can't make unreasonable people happy, do not waste your time.

[stonegatedesigns]

Sorry there is a typo in my original post it was installed in April and checked on in May. Grass was growing in may but now he states it gone and it's nothing but weeds.

[B-2 Lawncare]

You need to go look at it,and see what is going on. Did the yard hae a sprinkler system?
I won't do a install on a yard that doesn't have one. Most people lack the dedication to drag a hose around to keep a lawn I alive. If it is from lack of water I wouldn't loose any sleep over.

[Steve]

Was this a seeded lawn or was this a sod install?